Battlefield 3: Multiplayer map impressions

Although Battlefield 3’s single-player mode draws a majority of the coverage, the franchise has always been an online game at its core. DICE made its mark with a team-based Conquest mode in Battlefield 1942, where players fought over control points using infantry and a mix of vehicles. It was a revelation at the time.

Those wondering if Battlefield 3 will continue the series’ tradition of multiplayer innovation should have no worries. I played six of the maps and tried out a few modes. Some are good. Some are boring. But each one has what executive producer Patrick Bach calls a “defining wow moment in the multiplayer map.” I’ll get into a major one later.

“People forget the names of the map,” he said. “You need something to anchor it in their minds.” Does that work? Here’s a quick list of maps I played and what I remember most about them.

Map: Seine Crossing, Mode: Team Deathmatch — I only got to play this for a few minutes, and it was hard for me to nail down the structure of the map. It takes place in Paris, but there’s more narrow alleyways and passages than the other Paris map — Operation Metro. What impressed me most initially was the sound. It was excellent. Just by the audio, you could tell where the firing was coming from and about how close you were to the gunfight.

Although I didn’t spend much time in the map because of technical issues, I did have a chance to check out what a fully loaded Battlelog looks like. I was impressed by how DICE created a social platform that melds perfectly to the game. It’s basically like Facebook but for Battlefield 3. Players can leave messages on each other’s walls and see their friend’s achievement. It’s a good way to talk smack, which I’m apt to do.

Map: Noshahr Canals, Mode: Squad Deathmatch — So what’s the difference between Squad Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch? The former pits four squads of four people against each other while the latter simplifies that by splitting the group of 16 into two teams of eight. Of course in Squad Deathmatch, groups don’t have to kill each other in a free for all. They can be split into two teams and compete via frag count.

Noshahr Canals takes place in a port. There’s one tank and everyone is rushing to get it because it grants a major advantage. The tank can blow away cover that’s vital to the other the team attacking from a ridge above the port. One of the disappointing things is that you can destroy barricades and walls of buildigns but you can’t wreck fork lifts and cargo containers scattered through the map. It’s for balance I suppose, but at the same time, it ruins the realistic consistency of the world. Why are walls descructable if crates aren’t?

I do like the mix of long- and medium-range combat on the map. There’s opportunity to flank opponents who may be holed up in buildings or clustered around the hill. The tank advantage isn’t overwhelming because the map is large enough and the topography varies so much that you can get away from it easily without being blown up.

Map: Tehran Highway, Mode: Team Deathmatch — I really didn’t like this map. It was too sniper friendly. There’s a deep gorge on one side that has a solitary walkway bridge. The other half of the map is a smattering of buildings lined up on the hillside.

When I was playing, the natural inclination was to dominate the footbridge. That’s what happens when you spawn into a map and have no clue about the layout. You search for the highest ground. But eventually, the fighting went up into the buildings because that’s where all the snipers were. They’d fire from the raised promenade onto the gunfights below. They’d even by hiding atop the low-slung houses that were partially blown away.

Although I didn’t like it personally, the map was well-made and has a nice flow to it. The fact that it took place at night offered a twist to the combat, but it didn’t make a huge difference. Like other maps, there was also one vehicle in it.

Map: Grand Bazaar, Mode: Rush — This is a big map, but it takes place in a maze of buildings and alleyways. It can be difficult navigating if you don’t know the area. The tight quarters makes every corner, every hallway, every marketplace a spot for an ambush. And it happens frequently as you wander around.

A free for all here would be chaos but the Rush Mode actually made this map playable. Teams have to find the choke points and make sure they don’t get flanked. There are multiple paths to the target so you have to be a little paranoid that one of your teammates will be overwhelmed opening you up to attacks.

There’s also a tank in this level, but it doesn’t seem to be effective as in other levels. There are plenty of places to hide, plus there are barriers to keep that armor from going to the other parts of the level.

Map: Damanvand Peak, Mode: Rush — Imagine a map that’s purely vertical. One team is fighting downhill. The other is blasting uphill. That’s this level and it’s amazing. It gets pretty hectic, and you would assume that the downhill team has an advantage, but it’s fairly balanced as you’ll later see.

There’s enough cover in the bases that defenders can do a decent job of protecting their base nodes. I spent a lot of time sniping on this stage. It was the perfect place with dense foliage and teammates rushing headlong into the firefight.

We blew up one base and then moved onto another. But eventually, we got to the edge of this dam, and I had no idea where to go next. It seemed as though we reached the end of the map. I peered over and saw the foggy outline of structures. How were we supposed to get there? I ran toward the helicopter one of the few vehicles available, but my teammate flew away and later crashed the chopper. Great.

I looked around asking for help. One of the producers told me to just jump. I asked are you kidding me? You want me to kill myself? No, he said, just open your parachute. Tap the space bar. I did and I glided into the enemy base. This is crazy. I looked up. I just dropped a couple of hundred feet.

That was the biggest wow moment of the day for me and the highlight of the multiplayer experience. That single BASE jump was a huge rush. It was the first time in a long time that a Battlefield map impressed me. It opened up dozens of possibilities.

The one issue with parachuting into a base from a cliff is that you end up being sitting ducks for snipers and assault troopers roaming the grounds. It’s great if you’re a defender but awful if you’re attacking. I suppose it’s revenge. I ended up getting shot a lot and I often tried to open my chute at the last possible second. It worked with varying degrees of success. Sure defenders have an advantage, but it’s a thrill of a lifetime for those on the offensive.

Map: Operation Firestorm, Mode: Conquest — This is a map, where you can just appreciate the gorgeous visuals of Battlefield 3. You do that for, oh about five seconds, before you realize that you have to take a tank, a jeep or a jet and get into the fight.

This is a largely flat area filled with factories and office buildings. It’s not exactly a city. It’s more like a dense oil refinery complex set in the middle of a shrubbery of some god forsaken badlands. (The picture above is kinda what it looks like) The first thing I tried out were the jets. I had full control this time, and my first impression is “Woah, this is hard.” I kept aloft for a minute or two before realizing that I had no idea what I was doing. I crashed and died in the explosion. I forgot that I could eject.

I’m more of a ground guy anyway. I went on foot and captured a few node points. When I died, I overpowered a few foes with a tank. It’s a blast to play. This map shows off what the PC can do, namely these giant battles with all sorts of vehicles and explosions going on. The PC multiplayer supports 64-players.

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